“Any boyfriends?” I was surprised this would interest him. “You can tell me. I won’t say a word to Hoyt.”
I blushed. For some reason, I wanted to impress him, to act older and more experienced, but some things are impossible to fake. I’d never been with a guy. And it was mostly his fault. Compared to him, most guys weren’t good enough to give them an opportunity. My mind and heart had always belonged to him. His least gesture fed my dreams and fantasies for months on end, and all I wanted was to stop being invisible to him. That hope was the only thing that kept me afloat.
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“You must have gone out with someone, though.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been out a few times.”
I looked away so he wouldn’t see I was lying and adjusted my hair. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain—it was caught on my earring. I tried to pull my hair loose, but it kept getting more tangled.
“Is something wrong?” Trey asked.
“My hair’s wrapped around my earring and I can’t get it loose.”
“Here, let me help.”
He sat up and grabbed my ear before I could say anything. I tried to ignore the heat I felt when he was so close. Tried not to notice his tongue as he bit down on it in concentration.
“I can’t do it like this. It’s really caught up in there and I can barely see. Come on, get up.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the lamp, where he bent over, squeezing my earlobe. After a few tries, I felt the hair come loose from the hasp. When I looked up, I saw him smiling with satisfaction.
We were so close that I could feel his breath warming my cheek. He looked at my lips for a few tense moments that I wished would last forever.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he murmured.
Now all the sounds and music on the other side of the door seemed to recede. I grinned. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t believe this was happening. My heart was pounding, my nerves were raw.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’ve just never said anything like that to me. You’ve never noticed the way I look before.”
“Believe me, I’ve noticed the way you look many times. You’re gorgeous.”
“How much have you had to drink?”
“A lot, but not so much that I don’t know what I’m saying.”
I could see he was watching my lips as I talked.
“You honestly think I’m pretty?”
“You’re pretty, you’re perfect, I’m crazy about you. Tonight, especially.” He reached out and ran a finger across my cheek. “And you’re especially adorable when you blush. If I didn’t think it was wrong, I’d give you that kiss I’ve been holding back all night.”
I felt fireworks go off inside me, felt the burning of hope, of anticipation. And nothing else mattered to me just then. He wanted to kiss me, and I wanted him to kiss me. I refused to think about anything else, even to notice that feeling in the pit of my stomach warning me that I was letting my desire get the better of me, that there was something else I needed to pay attention to.
“Then do it,” I murmured.
He smiled wearily and shook his head, then leaned his forehead toward mine and rested his hand on my waist.
“Don’t say that.”
“I want you to.”
“It wouldn’t be right.”
“Says who? It’s just a kiss.”
